Length: 750 words
Your first essay will assert an argument about the role of home in Kamila Shamsie's novel Home Fire. You should focus on a specific character, analyzing his or her sense of home.
As you address home in Shamsie's novel, you are welcome to consider the way it adapts Antigone.
750 words is not long (approximately three pages), so you will need to select a narrow focus that you can examine in depth. You must analyze quotations from the texts you are discussing.
You can revise and repeat the contents of your discussion board postings, addressing ideas in greater depth, but make sure that your essay reads fluidly.
Use the templates for introducing your argument and quotations in They Say/I Say and review the techniques for analyzing and citing texts in Understanding Rhetoric. You must demonstrate appropriate use of quotations and cite all sources that you consult, including webpages. Use parenthetical citations to acknowledge when you are quoting or citing others’ ideas. It is plagiarism to use others’ words or ideas without citing them. This is an academic essay, so it should demonstrate appropriate conventions, including tone, language, and word choice. You should avoid using the first person, I.
Remember, you do not need to summarize the texts we have read. Assume your readers have read them and only tell them what they need to know to understand your points.
Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, in twelve-point, and Times New Roman font.
Developing Your Argument
Essay Structure
Assessment Rubric
Your essay will be assessed using the following criteria:
Exceptional.
Strong.
Satisfactory. The essay is reasonably focused, and explanations or analyses are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The essay reflects moderate engagement with the topic. It contains errors in grammar, punctuation, or MLA style (and list of works cited).
Underdeveloped. The essay is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic. It contains many errors in the use of grammar, punctuation, or MLA style.
Limited. The essay is unfocused, or rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
No Credit. The essay is missing or consists of disconnected sentences. It demonstrates plagiarism: presenting others' ideas as your own, pasting content from sources (including websites), or drawing on such content without citing it.
Adapted from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196
Your first essay will assert an argument about the role of home in Kamila Shamsie's novel Home Fire. You should focus on a specific character, analyzing his or her sense of home.
As you address home in Shamsie's novel, you are welcome to consider the way it adapts Antigone.
750 words is not long (approximately three pages), so you will need to select a narrow focus that you can examine in depth. You must analyze quotations from the texts you are discussing.
You can revise and repeat the contents of your discussion board postings, addressing ideas in greater depth, but make sure that your essay reads fluidly.
Use the templates for introducing your argument and quotations in They Say/I Say and review the techniques for analyzing and citing texts in Understanding Rhetoric. You must demonstrate appropriate use of quotations and cite all sources that you consult, including webpages. Use parenthetical citations to acknowledge when you are quoting or citing others’ ideas. It is plagiarism to use others’ words or ideas without citing them. This is an academic essay, so it should demonstrate appropriate conventions, including tone, language, and word choice. You should avoid using the first person, I.
Remember, you do not need to summarize the texts we have read. Assume your readers have read them and only tell them what they need to know to understand your points.
Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, in twelve-point, and Times New Roman font.
Developing Your Argument
- Select quotations and an image to analyze. You only need to quote when the language of the quotation matters to your argument. Otherwise, you can put a quotation in your own words.
- As you return to the text, formulate an argument by asking what links the evidence you selected. Ask yourself how they differ from each other and other moments. These questions will allow you to answer why each instance is significant to the novel.
- Consider the form and style of the examples you select. Analyze the word choice and tone. Where in the novel do the instances that you note take place? Why is this significant?
Essay Structure
- As you plan your essay, consider analyzing two to three quotations or examples per paragraph. If quotations are more than four lines in length they need to be indented as a block quotation. Be selective and only quote the words, phrases, or lines necessary to your argument. In addition, fully analyze the quotations you have selected. Sometimes, you might deal with only one quotation or example in a paragraph if it demands that much explication.
- Your introductory paragraph should introduce your claim and why it is significant. Remember that your introduction can change until the last minute and often it is a good technique to make your conclusion your introduction.
- Each topic sentence should assert the argument of the body paragraph it begins. Your analysis in each paragraph should support the topic sentence. The topic sentence of each paragraph should support your claim in the introduction.
- The conclusion of your essay does not need to repeat what you have already said. In light of what you have argued, make a connection to a larger context and suggest ideas for further research.
Assessment Rubric
Your essay will be assessed using the following criteria:
Exceptional.
- A thought-provoking essay, clearly written and carefully argued, demonstrating creativity and thorough engagement with texts.
- The essay supports a focused thesis, considering its implications.
- The essay reflects careful reading of texts and interpretation of evidence. Quotations are analyzed and incorporated effectively, functioning as a part of sentences.
- The topic sentences support the thesis and state what each paragraph argues.
- The essay demonstrates creativity in its approach to the subject.
- The sentences throughout demonstrate clear, engaging use of language.
- The essay's title draws in readers, introducing them to the essay's argument.
- The conclusion draws the argument to a close, makes a connection to a new context, and suggests directions for future research.
- The essay demonstrates correct use of grammar, punctuation, and MLA style for in-text citations and list of works cited
Strong.
- The essay contains a thesis, supported by analysis of quotations and examples.
- The implications of the thesis could be considered further.
- The organization of ideas could be stronger.
- The quotations could be more fully analyzed.
- The conclusion could consider further future directions for research.
- The topic sentences could more effectively address what each paragraph argues.
- The essay could demonstrate further revision and proofreading, including use of MLA style for in-text citations and list of works cited.
Satisfactory. The essay is reasonably focused, and explanations or analyses are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The essay reflects moderate engagement with the topic. It contains errors in grammar, punctuation, or MLA style (and list of works cited).
Underdeveloped. The essay is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic. It contains many errors in the use of grammar, punctuation, or MLA style.
Limited. The essay is unfocused, or rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
No Credit. The essay is missing or consists of disconnected sentences. It demonstrates plagiarism: presenting others' ideas as your own, pasting content from sources (including websites), or drawing on such content without citing it.
Adapted from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196